Born in El Paso, Texas, Charlie spent his childhood in Silver City, New Mexico, where he was a dedicated baseball player and local little league champion. Legend has it that Silver City kids were told to eat their Wheaties so they could be ‘strong like Ponzio.’ Charlie and his family later moved from Silver City to the Lower Valley in El Paso, where he attended Ysleta High School. It was at Ysleta that fate brought Charlie to Deborah Trujillo’s doorstep as the two would meet, eventually marry and have three children. With the hopes of making a living to support his family in 1973, Charlie followed in his Uncle Alfonso’s footsteps and became a commercial Realtor. His Uncle would teach him the business and he would later start his own working diligently on deals until the very end.
Charlie pursued self-education as he was on a quest to understand the universe, people, history, and his grand purpose. He held several national commercial real estate management and brokerage certifications (GRI, CPM, and CCIM designations). Professionally, he served as president of the El Paso CCIM chapter in 1987 and again in 1993.
Charlie believed that outdated power structures needed to shift and that the empowerment of the most vulnerable would benefit the whole of society for generations to come. He served as president of Downtown Sertoma Club in 1984, helped organize the White Collar Industry Task Force in 1985, organized and served as founding president of the El Paso Hispanic Chamber of Commerce in 1990, served under three mayors on the El Paso Planning Commission, as well as simultaneously chairing the Hispanic Leadership Institute and the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Education Foundation. He also ran for Congress against an incumbent to send a message that El Paso could no longer be the recipient of token representation in 1992. Despite his love for his city, in 1997 Charlie left El Paso for Austin to be next to his children and build a new life.
Throughout his 67 years, Charlie advocated for the two cities he loved, El Paso and Austin, and those who needed a voice. He would hold institutions accountable and demand fair and just treatment for the most vulnerable in every situation. Whether working to help convince the City of Austin to support the residents of Dove Springs, writing about how each city could do better for their citizens, rallying for donations for displaced victims of natural disasters, or lobbying for small business owners, civically and professionally.
Among his many accolades, Charlie considered his three children, Sunday Michelle, Carlo Eric, and Audrey Nicole, his most significant accomplishments. He was delighted to be a grandfather and reveled in sharing his constant learning journey with his growing family. He excelled in the ways of fine dining, meticulous ordering often with his spices in tow, civic advocacy, real estate, salsa dancing, picking and critiquing movies, discovering new music, storytelling, fast reading, and all things spiritual pursuits with the hope of not just evolution but self-actualization.
He is survived by his children Sunday Ponzio Vidal, Eric John Vidal, Carlo Eric Ponzio, Maria Ponzio, Audrey Ponzio Rodriguez, and Joseph Michael Rodriguez, his five grandchildren Aidan Jaxon Vidal, Ezra Carlo Ponzio, Mia Julianna Vidal, Dante Eric Ponzio, and Joshua Jake Vidal, his favorite ex-wife Deborah Mae Ponzio and his dear friend Dean Elmore in addition to his cherished siblings Joel Ponzio, Sam Ponzio, Bruce Ponzio (Roy), Carla Ponzio, Laura Ponzio (Lali) and Marissa Zdenek, many Tíos, Primos, their beautiful families and his beloved coffee crews at Mozart's and Starbucks.
He is preceded in death by his mother Margarita Perez, father Carlos Ponzio, uncle Alfonso Perez, nephew Randy Ponzio, Aunts Pauline, Oti, Lucy, and Violet and Uncle Frank.
To honor him and his journey, his family and friends will be hosting an online tribute on Thursday, July 23, 2020, at 7:00 PM CT and another celebration in 2021.
In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to any charity that protects the vulnerable or uplifts small businesses. A few of his favorites include:
the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention https://afsp.org,
the El Paso Hispanic Chamber of Commerce https://ephcc.org, and
Support Latino Business https://www.supportlatino.biz
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